to placate

Examples

• All

• Again he tried to play the role of Lyndon Johnson's bridge to placate the disgruntled liberal Democratic Senators.

  Academic text (1998)

• Public historians are often forced to placate competing constituencies by altering interpretations.

  Academic text (2004)

• I know how to placate your mother.

  Delhi Safari (2012)

• He'll want to placate you.

  Solomon (1997)

• Wallace is only coming up here in order to placate you.

  Path to War (2003)

• We please them, or at least placate them, through proper behavior.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Earlier, she had placated a crowd of about 150 angry young men.

  Academic text (1997)

• Randolph said he didn't remember those passages, but hearing about them seemed to placate him somewhat.

  Fiction book (2002)

• Sam snorted and got a new pony, smiling at the child's parents in a placating fashion.

  Fiction book (1992)

• Zamora swung back to Byers, who held his hands up in a placating manner.

  Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

A

to appease

vsto placate

48 5.8

To calm someone by giving in to their demands

calms by pleasing rather than by surrendering demands

A

to assuage

vsto placate

• Formal

20 7.7

To make a bad feeling, pain, or worry less strong

specifically targets pleasing someone to make them less angry rather than easing pain

D

to disarm

vsto placate

15 3.9

To calm someone by being kind or friendly

aims to please someone specifically to lessen anger

P

to pacify

vsto placate

11 5.2

To calm someone who is angry or upset

often reduces anger by pleasing someone or offering something to them

M

to mollify

vsto placate

8 7.2

To make someone less angry or upset

achieves this mainly by doing or saying things to please someone

P

to propitiate

vsto placate

• Formal

1 9.9

To do something that makes a person or spirit less angry and more friendly

aims to please someone to reduce anger without ceremonial or spiritual intent

C

to conciliate

vsto placate

1 7.9

To stop people being angry and make them friendly again

focuses more on pleasing an individual to reduce anger rather than negotiation

L

to lenify

vsto placate

• Archaic

9.9

To make someone feel calmer or less angry

focuses more on pleasing actions to remove anger rather than mildness

G

to gruntle

vsto placate

• Archaic

9.9

Make someone feel pleased or less upset

works by pleasing to lower anger rather than simply creating contentment

Antonyms

P

to provoke

144 3.6

Annoy someone again and again to make them react

A

to anger

114 1.0

To make someone very upset or annoyed

How Calm

to pacify

11 5.2

to appease

48 5.8

to placate

28 7.0

to calm

962 1.0

to soothe

63 3.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology